


Love Like A Red-Tipped Rose

by PerfectlyNervousBeard19507



Series: The Reluctant Fiancé [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, can be read as a standalone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28610415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerfectlyNervousBeard19507/pseuds/PerfectlyNervousBeard19507
Summary: Oliver, only son of the Marquis of Metley is quiet and small for his age. He isn't the center of attention, keeping to the fringes and indulging his love of books and plants. Though crowds aren't his favorite, he does love people and has a good heart, and would love to have a friend. But he likes all the wrong things and isn't rowdy and loud like the rest of his classmates at the private school he attends, and so finds himself bullied, or when he's lucky, ignored. Until one day, he is rescued from a group of bullies by a secondary school student who is far too tall and truly has better people to be spending his time with than a quiet bookworm with a lonely heart.NOTE: This story is part of the larger series, but can be read as as standalone :)
Relationships: Edmond Ray/Oliver Metley
Series: The Reluctant Fiancé [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980442
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	1. Radishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver Metley is saved from a crew of bullies by a mysterious student in secondary school.

“There, there, you’ll be okay.” I patted the soft ground behind the large school hedges that was home for a tiny family of radishes. A new one had poked its tiny head out of the dirt to say hello. “I know this isn’t the sunniest place, but at least here no one will destroy you.”

They were growing a little slower from lack of sun, but otherwise appeared well enough. I sighed in relief. My last three attempts had all been destroyed, the first two by a zealous gardener and the last one by--

“So this is where you’re hiding now, Metley.” I jumped at the leering voice that rang behind me, even as I berated myself for reacting. I shouldn’t. Father always said not to let them see fear. I took a deep breath and turned.

“Good morning, Rottigan.” I looked him in the eyes with what I hoped was an especially fierce stare. He didn’t seem to think it was particularly fierce though, if his laugh was any judge. At thirteen, he was a year older than me, taller and stronger. 

“What is it this time, Metley, hm? Potatoes? Cabbage? Your mother kicked you and your father out to make room for a new beau and now you’ve got to provide?” Xavier Rottigan stalked forward, towering over me. I cowered back, arms held protectively over the radish family. They hadn’t done anything wrong.

I licked my lips that had gone suddenly dry. “Please leave me alone, Rottigan. You…” The words would barely go past my throat, it was blocked. “You… Please…”

“Awww, are you going to cry, Metley? Pathetic.” Rottigan lifted his foot to stamp out my plants, just like he had previously and I curled over them, eyes squeezing shut in anticipation of the pain.

I heard the sound of someone getting kicked… But I felt nothing. Rottigan’s shadow had lifted away from over me. I peeked one eye open and saw a very tall boy, well young man really. He was much older than any of us, likely soon to move to the secondary building if he hadn’t already. His hair was a burnished blond, and his eyes were a particularly fiery green as he stared Rottigan down.

“Get out of here, you pathetic wastrel.” 

Rottigan sneered up at him. “Or what?”

The boy raised his fists and swung out. I closed my eyes again while they had it out, praying I could sink into the ground next to my radish family and lead them deeper into the dirt where we could all be safe. A few cries of pain sounded, but I drowned them out, letting my head fill with noise and tuneless songs.

When I opened my eyes again, the boys were gone. Very good. I sighed and was about to uncurl when I felt a hand descend onto my back directly from above. I gasped again. _Silly Oliver, now you’ve shown fear twice._

“There now, you’re okay.” It was the big boy from before. The one who fought Rottigan. “You can sit up if you’d like, I won’t hurt you.”

I chanced a glance at him. His hair didn’t catch the sun as much in the shade of my hedge and his eyes didn’t look so dangerous anymore. He took up a lot of space, mostly because he was big, and a little because he was him. I wished he would go so I would have more room to breathe.

I sat up. He was still too tall. “Thank you…”

“Ray.” He held out a hand to shake. “Edmond Ray.”

I made my shaking hand touch his and he grasped it warmly. His hands were bigger than mine and well shaped. His grip was firm. “Thank you, Ray.” Did I sound sincere enough? My voice sounded quiet and cold to me. Uninteresting.

“Those lads shouldn’t bother you again, Metley, unless they want a freshly minted secondary school student to kick the tar out of them.” 

I looked at him more. I had already said thank you, to say it twice would be awkward. But what could I say? Truly I was grateful. Before I could think of anything clever he smiled and released my hand.

“You’ll be alright then?”

I nodded dumbly. My hand felt warm now and I placed it against the soil to cool before the heat could go to my face. “Thank you. Truly.” I tried to summon a smile to match his but he was so very overwhelming, this freshly minted secondary school student and my mind felt all frozen.

With one last grin he stood and dusted spare dirt off of his uniform pants. “Take care, Metley.”

I nodded again like a fool and watched him walk away. He might have been a good friend if I was bold enough to do more than stutter through a few basic words. I would love to have a friend. But surely someone like him had better things to do than spend time with the most unpopular lad in the entire primary academy, and he was much older than me besides. 

Still, he had saved me and my radishes. If I saw him again, I would thank him properly, perhaps offer him a freshly grown radish. No sooner had I thought that than I laughed at myself. He was in secondary academy, no doubt overflowing with wealth and stature, and strong and confident. A radish, even one grown so carefully, was a laughable gift for such a person.

I sighed and turned back to the youngest sprout. He wouldn’t return, so it did not matter what manner of gift I found for him.

As soon as class was dismissed the next day, I ran back to the hedgerow. Ray had said the boys wouldn’t return, but there was no use risking it; my radish family were my only friends here at school, and until I could see Father again, they were my only family too.

As I ran round the last of the gardens, I gasped and stopped in my tracks. 

Ray was there. He was bent over my plot of fresh dirt, his hands scrabbling through the soil.

“Stop!” I ran at him, then stopped, panicked. What could I possibly do to stop him?

His head lifted and his face brightened. “Metley! I was hoping you’d return.” He lifted his hands, fresh with dirt, covered in shredded greenery. _Oh, radishes, I’m so sorry! I should never have taken my eyes away._ His brow furrowed as he looked at me. “I say, Metley, what’s the matter?”

“You… You--!” I could only point and blubber like a fool. He looked down to where I was pointing and then back at me, breathing in suddenly. “Oh! Oh no, Metley, no I haven’t harmed your plants at all! Oh, God, no, no, here look--” He beckoned me over and wordlessly I followed, crouching next to him in the shade.

A tiny fence made of crooked collected sticks stood around my radish family. 

“I thought… well, the radishes just look like a lot of green surrounded by more green.” I looked at where he gestured. The radish tops looked nothing like the grass that dotted around them. “Of course, louts like Rottigan will try to destroy them, fence or not, but at least this will protect them from people who might misstep by mistake.” He shrugged his large shoulders and turned to me with a disarming smile. I had no choice but to smile back, letting out a deep breath of relief. 

“Thank you.” I grimaced. “Sorry, I… _do_ know how to say other things except _thank you,_ only you are very tall and good at fighting, and… I don’t know what else to say, really.” I heard him laugh and trained my eyes at the ground, at the small new fence. 

“If I crouched even further or lay on the ground, would it be easier for you?” I chanced a glance at him. His eyes twinkled; he was teasing me. I felt my face start to glow with warmth and turned back. “Why radishes?”

I turned to him in surprise. “How did you know they are radishes?”

He shrugged again. “I researched it last night. Was a bastard of a study, all green things look alike to me--”

“Not at all!” I protested. “Each one is entirely different, from the shape of the leaf to the height to the color--different shades of green, you see, and sometimes it has to do with season too! The heartier a plant, the darker it is, more often than not. See here, the shape of the radish plant leaves are very round, while the grass next to it is thin and a lighter green. And this dandelion here--it is a dandelion, though it hasn’t...flowered…” I trailed off in horror. I was lecturing a secondary school boy like some wizened professor. “Sorry.” I mumbled.

His hand squeezed my shoulder, kindly. “You love plants, don’t you?” I nodded at the ground. “Don’t ever apologize for being yourself.” I looked at him again. His smile was gentle, though it turned up one side teasingly. “I think we’ve well established that you can say more than just _thank you_ , hm, Metley?”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that fell out of me at that. He joined me and when I sobered, asked again. “Why radishes?”

I took a deep breath. He truly wanted to know. “Radishes are easy to grow, even if there isn’t enough sun, so I can hide them from harm. They take only a little bit of love, and will still yield, so when I go home for holidays they should still be okay without me so long as it rains.” I patted the ground around them securely. “And I like radishes. Even if you plant just a few seeds, many will grow and close together.” I smiled down at the newest shoot. “Radishes grow in families, so they’re never alone.”

“Hmm.” Ray’s grin still hadn’t waned but it had lost it’s teasing edge. “I should like to have a family of radishes myself, but alas, I only have one sister and she is many years my senior.” He looked down at his stick fence. 

“Well, if you ever need another radish,” I blustered. “I owe you anyway for saving me yesterday, and… well, that is silly, of course, you would want--that is...” Edmond still didn’t look at me. “I--sorry, that was, I shouldn’t have assumed--”

“I think I should like that, Metley.” He still did not look at me, but he his mouth quirked up and his eyes warmed. Suddenly all his smiles from before didn’t seem as real. Then his face cleared and the rakish grin returned as he faced me. “But if we are to be fellow radishes, it would be silly to keep calling each other by our last names like businessmen. You must call me Edmond.” 

I nodded silently, reminded suddenly how big and impressive he was, this secondary schoolboy who would be my radish. 

“Go on then, try it out.”

“Ed-Edmond.” I nodded firmly. “And… and you may call me… Oliver.”

He nodded happily. “I would be honored, Oliver.” He rose, pulling a pocket watch from his vest and clicking it open. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to run to class before my professor despairs of me ever learning anything with him this entire semester.”

 _Oh no! Class!_ I jumped up as well to run, but stopped. “I, well…”

“Hm?”

“Will I… see you tomorrow, R-- Edmond?”

He smiled at me. “I’ll be waiting here after breakfast, Oliver.” Then in broad strides, he walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It begins! It was hard for me for a second as a new(ish) writer, I wondered to myself "Will I love Oliver and Edmond as much as Philip and Henry?" I AM NO LONGER WORRIED. Almost as soon as I started writing them, I fell just as deeply in love ❤️ Can't wait to write all the chapters! Please enjoy everyone and thank you again!
> 
> NOTE FOR READER COMING FROM THE PREVIOUS SERIES: The first few chapters will be telling the story of them when they're younger and how they met, etc. Then there will be a time jump to them we meet them in Reluctant Fiancé. I know it can be frustrating when you come to a story expecting one thing and then getting another with no warning, so here's the warning :) Don't look at it as chapters of flashback, but rather as the true beginning of their story, after which we will jump to the middle of the story as fully grown adults. Rest assured, these aren't dry chapters of half-assed trivia, they are written here with just as much love and care as the future chapters will be, not just as set-up. I've had so much fun writing them at this stage and I hope you have just as much fun reading them!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments feed my starving soul ❤️


	2. Montgomery’s Almanac of Twenty Rules for Herbalists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Writer's notes at the end :)

I stared down at the heavy cut crystal glass filled only part way with whiskey. “Father?”

I looked up at the clinking noise of the decanter as he poured a glass for himself. “You are thirteen now, my son. I don’t pretend to know what you are getting up to in your private school--” He chuckled lightly and I smiled back hopefully. It was nice to see him laugh. “But I’m sure a few sips of whiskey won’t hurt you or send you spinning.” Father placed the decanter down and rose in his chair, gesturing for me to do the same. “Happy birthday, my son.” He tapped his glass gently to mine then invited me to take a sip, waiting expectantly.

Whatever Father might think about my supposed shenanigans while at school, this would be my first time drinking anything stronger than ale. I slowly raised the glass to my mouth and drank. 

Good Lord, but that was much stronger than ale. It burned as it went down my throat and I coughed, which only made it worse. Father chuckled and pulled the glass from my hand, pounding me lightly on the back until I recovered.

“You’ll have to do better than that to impress the other boys, Oliver.” He chuckled. I looked up at him and grimaced, which only made him laugh more. It was worth it if only for that. 

“Aside from my teachers, I have only one person I wish to impress at school, Father, and he has yet to ask me how well I drink whiskey. Which is probably a good thing, I suppose, as I am not very good at it.”

“What  _ does _ impress him, I wonder?” Father’s tone was light as he regarded me. 

I shrugged. “He’s always awonder at my gardening.” I laughed as I recalled Edmond’s face, eyes wide as I pulled new carrots from the ground. “Although he himself cannot tell any of the plants apart, he loves watching them grow.” 

Father was watching me with a twinkle in his eye. “He makes you happy.”

I felt my face warm, though I didn’t know why I felt embarrassed. “He does. Truly, Father, he doesn’t expect me to be anyone except myself.” 

Father chuckled. “That is a wonder. You should’ve seen me when I was a lad, trying to impress your mother--” And just like that, his smile fell and his face clouded over. He cleared his throat. “So long as I have mentioned her: Your mother is, ah, otherwise engaged and… she won’t be able to make it tonight, I’m afraid. She sends her regards and well wishes and sent this for you.” He turned away from me and reached into his coat, pulling out a small leather package.

I unwrapped it, though I already knew what was inside. Mother had a tradition of sending me custom crafted charms from the various locals she visited with whichever lover she was currently with. This one was iron and formed into a very small and fortified wall. “It’s… some fortress city, I suppose. Er, good craftsmanship.” I looked up at Father’s face. He was studying the charm in my hand, his eyes wet.

He noticed my regard and attempted a smile for me, but the lines on his face were etched with pain. 

I fought for a smile in return, tucking the charm away in my pocket. “Any chance you were able to get me a present, Father? Perhaps something with a little less… er, metal brick?”

He nodded slightly. “Of course.” He turned his back to me and walked over to his desk, where he pulled out a small box and a paper wrapped package. The package he handed to me and the box he placed on the table. “Go on, open it.”

The package was heavy and felt solid in my hands. I peeled off the string and brown paper. “Oh, Father…” 

_ Montgomery’s Almanac of Twenty Rules for Herbalists.  _ I coveted this book, but due to its popularity it was traitorously expensive. “Father, I… Thank you.” I looked at him. Again his face was transformed into a real, proud smile and he held out his arms. I fell into them, holding him tightly. 

“My pleasure, Oliver.” He gripped me back, his words brushing against the top of my head. “Happy birthday. I’m so very proud of you.” Then he pulled away and sat me down at the desk, unwrapping the second box. “As per our tradition, lemon cake, before I have to take you back to school.”

I chuckled and placed the book carefully away from the food before reaching for one of the accompanying forks. “Directly from the serving plate.”

We tapped our forks against each other like crossed swords and then dug in.

***

It was nearing dark by the time I arrived back at school. Father had been called away at the last moment by his steward and so sent me ahead without him. I rattled through the gates on my own, leftover lemon cake gouged with fork marks and my new book packed away in my valise.

No sooner had the footman opened the coach door then we were approached by a footman.

“Sir Oliver Metley?” I nodded and he held out a letter sealed in wax. “For you.”

I took it carefully and broke the seal.  _ Had Mother actually written me…? _ But the handwriting was not hers. In fact, I did not recognize it at all. In neat, angular letters, the letter said:

_ Dear Oliver,  _

_ If I could have the pleasure of seeing you at our usual spot this evening, I would be honored. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Your Radish _

I smiled and tucked the note into my pocket before grabbing my valice and hastening toward our hedge.

It had grown since my first attempt at radishes. With Edmond to help me protect the seedlings, we had expanded to small plots underneath a few of the bushes now, growing radishes, carrots, and most recently potatoes. Edmond sat in front of the potatoes, twirling something in his hand. He turned as I approached and rose, smiling.

“You made it back! I was worried you would stay by your father’s overnight and it would go stale.”

“No chance of that, Father had business with our steward.” I paused. “Wait, what would go stale?”

He took my hand and pulled me forward, deeper into the shadows. “Close your eyes.” 

I closed them and waited, hearing light noises. “Edmond--”

“Shh, Oliver, just another moment.” A warm glow shone behind my eyelids all of a sudden. “Open them.”

I did and gasped. In front of me, Edmond held a small, dark looking cake with three candles in it. “Happy birthday, my radish.”

“It’s… Edmond, how did you know?” 

“I have my ways.” Edmond’s eyes shone warmly in the candlelight. “Though, I confess I have no idea what your favorite cake flavor is, so I may have taken a few of our carrots and bribed the cook to make this for you with them.”

A warmth bloomed inside me and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I took the cake from him.  _ He makes you happy _ . “Thank you, Edmond.” I sat and patted the space next to me. He obligingly folded his limbs down.

“Make a wish, Oliver, so we can eat it. I’ve never eaten a carrot cake before, but my sister was in raptures about them and I’m quite eager to give it a try.”

I closed my eyes again and breathed in, the scent of warm spices and currants soaked in brandy going right to my head. “Is there anything you’d like that I can wish for you, Edmond?”

I heard a huff next to me. “Don’t waste your wish on me, Oliver, my birthday will come soon enough.”

“Please.” 

He was silent for a moment, and then he spoke. “I wish… I wish for us to remain radishes for as long as I live, Oliver, come what may.”

I couldn’t help a snort as I opened my eyes and looked at him. “But that’s silly, Edmond, you’re welcome to be my radish as long as you'd like.”

He did not return the look, his eyes trained on the star-strewn sky above us. “Still. It is my wish.”

I shrugged. “Well, if you insist.” I turned back to the cake and closed my eyes once more. “I wish… I wish that Edmond and I will remain fellow radishes for as long as he pleases. And--” I felt very shy to speak further, but I wanted him to know. “And that one day I can be there to support him as he has been here for me.” I opened my eyes and blew out the candles, refusing to look his way. “We’d best eat this before it goes stale.”

“Oliver.”

“Yes.” I focused on pulling candles out of the cake, one at a time.

“Look here a moment.”

“Do we have forks to eat this with or are we using our fingers?”

His hand touched my shoulder and I turned to him, still red with embarrassment over my words. From behind his back, he pulled out a small porcelain pot. From the top of it grew three yellow roses. “Happy birthday.”

I was struck speechless as he handed them to me. “I know it’ll take a bit more work than root vegetables, but I am willing to help if these clumsy hands would be of any use to you.” He huffed a laugh. “And I read in a book in the library that yellow roses are a symbol for friendship, so I thought they were fitting for us.”

“Thank you Edmond.” My whole body felt light with happiness. “And your hands aren’t clumsy, they can be quite useful for holding large objects. Oh, speaking of which!” I carefully placed the roses in front of me and reached into my bag, pulling out Father’s gift. “My Father bought me  _ Montgomery's Almanac _ !”

Edmond’s eyes widened. “No wonder you didn’t need your own birthday wish!”

I laughed. “It’ll prove itself quickly in caring for these roses, no doubt. I’ve never cared for flowers before, they're much more delicate, only Mother…” I trailed off.

Edmond’s hand touched my shoulder again. “You never mention your Mother. Is she well?”

“I… Yes, thank goodness, quite well. She… travels a lot. And this last trip of hers has been unusually long, I’ve not seen her for almost two years.”

“You must miss her terribly.”

“I don’t.” I felt Edmond start at the sharpness of my tone. “I only need my father, and his heart would only break more if he thought...” I breathed deeply. Edmond did not need to see this bitter side of me. “We should eat this delicious cake before it gets too late and we are kicked out of the hedges.” 

“Hmm.” Edmond squeezed my shoulder lightly. “We also need to plant the roses, they have already languished in my room for over a day--”

“Oh, why didn’t you say so? Poor things must be dreadfully out of sorts.” I had already read portions of the Almanac at the school library before Rottigan had torn it from hands and burned it. I reached for my own copy and flipped through the pages to chapter 7,  _ On Flowers: Care and Keep. _ “Let me see… Roses, roses--there.” I held the book up to the moonlight and squinted to read. 

“Here--” Edmond lit a match and placed my birthday candles on either side of the book, relighting them. Then he crowded in next to me to read. “Let me see… Rich soil--we’ve got that in spades here; sunlight for at least half of the day… Have we got enough sunlight, Oliver?”

I cased our corner of the hedges with a critical eye. “If we plant them against that bush there,” I pointed a few feet ahead, where a bush formed a corner in the hedge path. “They should get enough sunlight and still remain relatively well hidden from sight.”

Edmond nodded sagely and reached for a trowel from his pocket, handing it to me. “Would you do the honors?”

I took it from him and we hastened to the spot I’d chosen. Within a few minutes the roses were transferred from the porcelain pot to their new home in soft rich soil. 

“Now, let's eat.” Edmond pulled away to grab the carrot cake but I didn’t follow him just yet, still gazing at the flowers in front of me. While I wasn’t completely certain that they would catch enough sun they were already getting soaked in moonlight. They were a happy yellow, like butter mixed with gold. But I could see now that they weren’t entirely yellow. 

I leaned forward, straining my eyes to see better. The tips were darker, a different color, they were… red.

“Oliver?”

Edmond would not have realized the difference in meaning between standard yellow roses and red-tipped yellow roses. And as I hastened to where he sat with our hand-grown carrots cake, my cheeks very warm, I determined that I would not be the one to tell him. 

Surely it would only embarrass him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Oliver and his dad :) 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos make my absolute day ❤️


	3. Laid Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver hasn't heard from Edmond in a while and can't figure out what went wrong...

I stared out the window of the library as snow fell, adding to the already luxurious carpet that blanketed the ground. Edmond had warned me there would be snow, and had helped me prepare our small gardens for winter, covering the plants in mulch and wrapping and covering the roses as per the Almanac’s instructions. We had gotten to them just in time--first frost covered the ground, and soon after snow followed, piling high and fluffy all over the school grounds. I loved snow, but as I watched it sail down again I was on the verge of changing my mind as it had prevented Edmond and I from meeting for the past month. 

I looked down at the last note he’d sent me. We’d been exchanging notes back and forth throughout the time apart, but this was the last I’d received for over a week now.

 _Why isn't he writing? Did I insult him somehow in my last note?_

I shook my head at the thought. My last note had been banal at best, and it wouldn’t do to dwell. I returned his note to the front pocket of my jacketed winter school uniform, and focused back on the book in front of me. It was a novel, which I rarely indulged in since it took time away from delving through the herbology section, but unsettled as I was, I was happy for the extra distraction.

_...James pulled Araminta close, shielding her against the falling rain. She looked up into his eyes and he into hers and they saw in each other a love so absolute that nothing could tear it asunder. Slowly, she raised on her feet and he bent down until their lips met..._

I looked away from the book, breathing in deeply. I shook my head to clear it and pressed my face to the cool glass behind me. This was silliness. The prose was saccharine, the situation very unlikely, and yet… I wondered what a kiss might feel like. Was it a sensual experience because of the parties involved? Or was it the physical act itself? Or perhaps both...

I stood abruptly and returned the novel on the shelf. I had better things to do than wonder about such things. I could worry about kissing after I’d figured out the mystery of Edmond’s notes. Until then, I would take a walk in the snow, get out of my own head.

I walked right past the cloakroom, opting instead to tighten my jacket around myself and button it unfashionably up until the base of my neck. 

As soon as I stepped outside, I regretted not bringing a coat. The wind was brutal, whipping at my exposed head and hands, and snow blew around in all directions. _Three minutes’ walk and then back indoors._ I set off at a brisk pace, hiding my hands up my jacket sleeves.

I stopped in awe when I reached the hedges. They were transformed into large iced cookies by the snow, piled high and softening the barbs and edges I knew were hidden underneath. I made to take a step forward when I heard a sound.

“--Oi!”

I turned and spotted a tall boy coming toward me. As he got closer, I saw he was wearing the school-issued winter coat, embroidered with the emblem of the secondary school.

“Are you Oliver... _Metles_ , was it?”

I nodded silently, not bothering to correct him. He looked me up and down, assessing me. He was taller than Edmond by a few inches.

“Call me Adam. I’ve been looking for you. Someone caught you stepping outside.” He whistled. “You get your coat stolen by someone?”

I shook my head, starting to shiver from standing in one place too long.

“Good lord.” The boy whipped his coat off and wrapped it around me, clicking his tongue like a mother hen. Without the coat, he lost quite a bit of form--unlike Edmond’s muscular build, he was thin and gangly.

“Thank you.” I chattered. “Would you like to head inside? I can scratch up some tea in the library if you--”

“No need, lad, I’m just delivering you a message from Edmond.”

My eyes widened. “Edmond! But why…?”

“He laid himself out pretty bad last week. Slipped on some ice. Broke his arm and sprained his ankle like a right toff.” Adam chuckled then sobered. “He won’t stop wailing about you though, all worried you’d think he forgot about you after one damn week.”

I swallowed. “No, of course not.”

Adam crossed his arms over his chest and suppressed a shiver. “Anyway, I told him I’d come over here and set your growing mind at ease for him. Now that that’s done…” He turned to go.

“Adam, wait!” 

He paused and turned. “What, you want to send him a love letter back?”

“They’re not--!” Adam’s grin widened; he was teasing me. “Uh, can you take me to him please? I know visits aren’t encouraged, but a few moments? Then I could also return your coat.” I flapped the exceptionally long sleeves at him demonstratively. 

His eyebrow raised and he thought about it for a moment before shrugging and beckoning me forward. “Okay.”

***

Twenty minutes later, Adam deposited me at Edmond’s door and had again taken possession of his very long coat. 

I looked at the door. This was Edmond’s door and behind it Edmond’s room. I wondered what it must look like. Would his room have a lot of books? Would it be messy or clean? Probably messy since he was laid up.

_Does he even want me to visit?_

“Good grief, the pair of you.” Adam mumbled. He lifted a hand, knocked at the door, and clapped me on the shoulder before abandoning me, chuckling to himself.

“Adam?” Edmond’s voice called through the door. I started. Somehow I had expected his voice to sound weak and ill. But of course, it was his limbs that were injured, his voice would be just fine. “Did you find him?”

I cleared my throat. “Er, no. Well, that is, I’m not Adam, but yes, he found me.”

There was a moment of silence on the other side of the door. “Oliver? Is that you?”

“I--I can go, if you’d prefer! I’ll fetch Adam, he passed on your message. Feel better--”

“No, no, please come in.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose--”

“Don’t make me stand up and pull you in here, Oliver. That’s cruelty to the injured.”

I straightened my jacket, then got annoyed at myself for straightening it and rumpled it back. _This is just Edmond, why are you so nervous?_ Taking one last breath, I pushed the door open.

The room was actually quite average. Wooden furniture of a decent quality filled a room laid out for two people. Two desks with two chairs, two clothes presses, and two beds, one of them empty and the other one containing Edmond, observing me with his eyebrow raised. 

“Have you had your fill of my quarters?”

I immediately hastened to his side, eyeing all of him to assess the damage. His arm was wrapped tightly and splinted to his chest. His leg was hidden underneath the blankets of his bed, but I assumed it resembled his arm. His forehead had a large gash on it, going from his hairline to his eyebrow. “Oh my goodness, that looks terrible!” My hand reached out to his face, but I quickly pulled away. “Does it still hurt?”

“No. Only the arm and leg still ache. To be honest that doesn’t peeve me as much being unable to write or get around.”

“That must be terrible.” So many conversations we had shared on anything and everything, and yet here I was in his room when it was more necessary than ever to distract and comfort him, and my mind was an utter blank! 

“Er…” I gestured awkwardly across the room at the empty bed. “Who’s your roommate?”

“You just met him.” Edmond smiled at me reassuringly. 

I shrugged. “I don’t know why, but I expected the secondary dorms to be posher than ours.”

Edmond chuckled. “Pull up a chair and relax, Oliver.”

I picked up the chair from the desk closer to his bed and dragged it over, seating myself down and looking at him again, scrambling for something to say. “I would’ve brought something to read for you--the Almanac perhaps, but Adam found me outside and I didn’t think to go back to my room for anything, I just wanted to see you…” I trailed off. 

Edmond chuckled. “No need. It’s good to see your face after so long, Oliver.” It was good to see him too. Perhaps the length of time that had passed since we last saw each other was the source of the awkwardness between us! 

The thought relieved me somehow and I felt myself relaxing. “How are your studies?”

He shrugged. “Doing alright. How about you? How’s your father?”

I smiled. “He’s doing alright too. He loves winter and snow, like me, and I do miss jumping into snow drifts with him, which is why I went outside today.”

Edmond snorted. “And to think, now you’re trapped inside with me and my damaged limbs.”

“Hardly trapped!” I protested. Then I looked away, smiling at the floor. “It’s good to see you too, Edmond.” I didn’t know what to say after that, so I continued staring at the floor, praying he would break the silence.

“There is something you could help me with actually, if you have some time.”

I looked up. “What can I do?”

“With this arm I can’t write, and I have a paper due. Normally Adam helps me, but I’d be grateful if I could take some of the burden off his shoulders--”

“Of course!” I was already at his desk, shuffling through his schoolwork for blank paper and a pen. I placed the pages on a hard book to support my writing, then hasted back to my chair at his side. “Rest assured my handwriting is neat, so you needn’t worry about legibility. Dictate away!”

He smiled before turning his head up toward the ceiling. “Alright. The Theory of Evolution states that everything in the world evolved from something else…”

I took to writing, capturing his words down. I couldn’t help the flush of warmth that went through me at hearing his voice again after being apart so long. He presented his argument in an organized fashion, not wasting words. He would pause every so often to gather his thoughts, forehead creasing in concentration before continuing again.

As he opened his mouth to speak again I found myself distracted. He was describing his theory some more, the science of it. I watched his mouth form the words, his full lips moving around the sounds. I wondered what they felt like. They looked so full, and unlike me he had a shadow of a stubble around his mouth. Did it prickle? Transfixed, I placed my writing down on my lap and leaned forward on my hands toward him. 

"For instance, turtles have--Oliv--"

I pressed my lips against his hesitantly. They were very soft and warm. I moved my lips against his, feeling their shape--the bow, the seam, the sharp stubble above his upper lip--

A firm hand gently pushed me back.

“Oliver…” Edmond’s eyes searched mine, his uninjured hand still pressed to my chest, my throbbing heart. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

 _What was I thinking?!_ I could feel my face pulsing with embarrassment. “Nothing! I--I'm so sorry, I read about it in a book and I wondered...”

Edmond huffed and sat back. “You wondered how it felt?”

“I... Yes.” My eyes were once again focused entirely on the floor. “It seemed lovely--if a bit cliched the way the book described it--and as you were talking, I just wanted to know for myself... But that was hardly appropriate, I'm so sorry, I hope this doesn’t taint our friendsh--”

“Don’t worry about it so much. I remember my own curiosity when I first came across kissing. Though it was at a ball, not in a book.” Edmond chuckled. 

I looked up at him. “So you’ve already...”

“A few times now.” He winked at me. “And I’m sure when you’re ready, you’ll get a chance to perfect the craft too.”

“Right. Of course.” I breathed deep and cleared my throat. “Let’s pretend it didn’t happen then and focus again on your paper.”

“Do I need to worry for my virtue any longer while I’m dictating?” He was teasing me now, and I wouldn’t have it! But I didn’t know what to say and so I just shook my head before reaching for the half written pages again. 

“Continue.”

He huffed a laugh, then sat back again. “Where was I...? Right. For instance, turtles have many noted differences from species to species…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, so sorry for the chapter delay! Corona complications left me without enough energy to get this out and edit it so it was up to my (debatable) standard. But it's here now, please enjoy! :)
> 
> *Sigh* My babies. That is all I have to say about this...
> 
> As always comments and kudos feed my soul! Love you all!


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